From Stacey Brady, Office of Public Relations - Seaside
For nearly 25 years, Seaside has been at the forefront of economic growth in south Walton County. Before Seaside, there was little on County Road 30A and the town led the way, bringing hundreds of jobs, cultural arts, education, shopping and dining options, and international recognition to the area.
We are proud of the role we have played in the economic success and development of south Walton County. Seaside is a major vacation and second-home destination and the livelihood of many, many people depends on visitors wanting to come to our town and of course, our beach.
Tropical Storm Arlene, though not a strong storm, did considerable damage to our beach and washed away a good portion of the refurbishing we undertook after Ivan. With time, and efforts from our county and state partners, our beach will be beautiful once again. It is unfortunate that your newspaper, a community-based publication, opted to run a front-page photograph showing a very negative image of one part of our beach. In addition, the huge headline reinforced a very negative message for those who may be considering a visit or move to our area.
Seaside?s beaches already look better than they did a week ago. We?d like to invite you to come and take another picture, for front page viewing, of the dozens of people out on beach enjoying themselves. You can use the headline ?Paradise Rebounds.?
Our beaches took a beating with the storm, but our town, like many of the communities on 30A remains paradise for multitudes of people.